Junior College Sports

Northeast men’s hoops team controls its own fate
– BOONEVILLE – The Northeast Mississippi Community College men’s basketball team controls its own fate heading into tonight’s matchup at 8 against East Mississippi Community College.
Northeast (11-10, 6-5 North Division) has a one-game lead over a three-team pack vying for third and fourth place in the division. A win by Northeast against East Mississippi and the Tigers clinch third-place in the North Division.
Holmes, Mississippi Delta and Northwest all sit with 5-6 records in the league, and after Thursday’s games, playoff seeding could be determined by tiebreakers.
Tonight, Northwest and Holmes play each other, with the loser dropping out of the tiebreaker.
Mississippi Delta battles Coahoma for the other North Division matchup on Thursday night.
The Northeast women play host to East Mississippi tonight at 6.ICC men: The final game of the regular season for the Itawamba Community College men’s team will be tonight at 7 when the Indians take on Bevill State-Fayette at the Davis Event Center.
The ICC women ended their regular season on
Tuesday night.

Smither adds Carter to NEMCC staff

BOONEVILLE, Miss. – Northeast Mississippi Community College head football coach Ricky Smith continues to fill out his coaching staff for the 2010-11 season.

Smither did not have to look very far for his most recent hire when the two-year head coach was able to get Jeff Carter away from rival Itawamba Community College.

“It is a great opportunity to stay in junior college,” Carter said. “I look forward to working with the defense again and thank Coach Smither and Dr. (Johnny) Allen for the opportunity.”

Carter, who served as the Indians offensive coordinator, helped lead Itawamba’s football team to the playoffs in four of the last five seasons and kept the Indian offense atop the rankings during his time with ICC.

Under Carter’s offensive leadership, Itawamba’s football team became one of only four programs in the state of Mississippi to qualify for the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) playoffs in four of the last five years.

“Hiring Jeff Carter was huge,” said Northeast head football coach Ricky Smither. “For the last few years we have competed against him and he is a tremendous coach and recruiter.”

At Itawamba, Carter gave up his defensive passion to help the Indians on the offensive side of the ball. In 2005, Carter led the Indians to a top five finish in offense and a 6-1 mark before posting back-to-back 7-2 records as the Indian offense continued to shine.

Prior to joining the Itawamba coaching staff, Carter was a pharmaceutical sales representative with Astra Zeneca and Sepracor but the Ole Miss graduate has spent most of his professional career on the sidelines.

Beginning in 1996-1998, Carter roamed the sidelines at Tupelo High School as defensive coordinator and strength coordinator before jumping to the junior college ranks in February 1998. During Carter’s two years with the Golden Wave, Tupelo’s defense rated as the top ranked defense in the state of Mississippi.

Carter got his first taste of junior college football as the defensive coordinator for Northwest Mississippi Community College leading the Rangers to the North Division championship and a berth in the Mineral Water Bowl during the 1998 season.

Following his successful stint in Senatobia, Carter headed west to Arkansas State University where he served as the defensive backs coach for the Red Wolves for four years.

“Jeff has worked and played on the Division I level,” Smither said. “Hiring him made this program a lot better.”

Ole Miss fans remember Carter as the Most Valuable Player of the 1989 Liberty Bowl where Carter teamed with now Northeast assistant football coach John Darnell in dismantling Air Force 42-29. During the game, Carter picked off two Dee Dowis passes on back-to-back Falcon possessions preserving the Rebels lead.

In his final season for the Rebels, Carter was honored as the second-ever Chucky Mullins Memorial Courage Award recipient in 1991. The three-year Rebel starter was the first person to don Chucky Mullins’ #38 following Mullins’ passing in May 1991.

“We are fortunate to be able to hire someone with Jeff’s ability and experience in all areas,” said Northeast Athletic Director Ricky Ford. “He is a class act that will bring a lot of respect to the NEMCC football program and be a positive impact for NEMCC.”

When not on the sidelines, Carter is a member of the National Rifle Association, Ducks Unlimited and is the head coach of the Tupelo Ranger 8-year-old division and also is a church ‘small group’ host home.